Anti-jamming device for feeding paper



March 7, 1961 R. E. BUSCH ANTI-JAMMING DEVICE FOR FEEDING PAPER Filed July 7, 1958 United ANTI-JAMMING DEVICE FOR FEEDING PAPER Richard E. Busch, La Puente, Calif., assignor to Clary Corporation, San Gabriel, Califl, a corporation of Cahfornia Filed July 7, 1958, Ser. No. 746,877 1 Claim. or. 226-198) machine disclosed and claimed in the copending patent' application of Scozzafava et al., Serial No. 682,551, filed September 6, 1957, entitled Sales Transaction Registering Mechanism.

In such machines it is at times necessary to feed the paper through an elongate guide-way or chute. Ordinarily, no problem exists in drawing the paper through such guide-way or chute. However, occasions are encountered in which the thin flexible paper must be pushed endwise through such a chute. Since the strength of such paper in compression is obviously very weak, any blocking of the leading edge of the same will cause it to buckle and jam in the chute. Continued pushing of the paper merely causes it to jam further.

In cases where the paper is pushed through a chute by power-operated mechanisms, the paper may become so jammed, before the operator becomes aware of such malfunctioning that it becomes mutilated and may require total destruction in order to clear the same from the chute.

Such blocking of the paper, as referred to above, may be caused by the leading edge of the paper catching on a part of the chute as it is pushed therethrough. Also, in certain cases, it has been found that a machine operator, in anticipating passage of the paper. through the chute, placed his hand in front of the same, and as the leading edge of the paper lightly struck his hand, it was blocked weakness when pushed endwise, the machine operator is often unaware that the paper has struck his hand until after it has jammed in the guideway. On the other hand, the operator may not be able to react fast enough to prevent such blocking and jamming.

It therefore becomes a principal object of the present invention to prevent jamming of a paper which is pushed endwise through an elongate guide chute or guide-way. Another object is to visually indicate to the operator t when a paper isnot feeding properly through a chute.

The manner in which the above and other objects of the invention are accomplished will be readily understood on reference to the following specification when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein: Pig. 1 is a sectional view through a' paper feeding mechanism embodying a preferred form of the present rates Patent Pa tented lVIar. 7 1961 ice Referring to the drawings, the machine embodying the present invention comprises a pair of spaced side frames, one of which is shown at 11.

A platen 12 extends intermediate the side frames and is fastened at opposite ends thereof to coaxially extending platen shafts. 13 which may be either manually or power advanced as described in detail in the above noted patent application, Serial No. 682,551. The platen is preferably formed of a relatively soft material, such as rubber, for supporting on its periphery a strip of paper 14 to be printed. A printing mechanism (not shown) is effective to print data on the strip at a printing station indicated atP. The strip 14, has weakened or perforated lines 19 spaced along its length to facilitate tearing ofl sections of the strip. This is generally done by tearing the strip against the ,rearlunder-edge of the rear plate 24.

A pin wheel 15 is attached to the platen at one end thereof and has a series of pins extending therefrom which are effective to engage perforations 16 on the strip 14 whereby to positively advance the strip.

The strip 14 is fed froma suitable source of supply (not shown), under a roller 17 and over a guide wall 18, onto the peripheries of the platen and pin wheel. The strip is held in contact with the periphery of the platen and pin wheel by suitable guide fingers 20 extending partially therearound. After passing the printing station P the strip is pushed by the platen and .pin wheel through a guide chute generally indicated at 21. The latter comprises, a bottom wall 22, integral with the side walls 11 and a three-piece topwall including a leading transparent guide plate 23, a rear guide plate 24, and an intermediate pivotal guide-plate or element 25.

The transparent plate 23 is spaced from the periphery of the platen and the wall 22 and is provided with tongues 26 extending from opposite ends thereof and fitted within slots 27 formed in the side walls 11 whereby to anchor the plate 23 in position.

The rear plate 24 is also spaced upwardly from the lower guide wall '22 and has depending sides 28 which are attached by rivets 30 to the side walls 11.

The pivotal guide member 25 is substantially U-s haped in plan (see Fig. 2) in order to permit viewing of data printed on the strip. The member 25 is provided with 1 outwardly extending tongues '31 on opposite ends thereof" .which are fitted within substantially triangular openings 32 formed in the sides 28 of the plate 24, thereby permitting pivotal movement of the member 25 between its positions shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

invention, the figure being taken substantially along the, I

It willbe noted that the center section 33 of the member 25 is disposed upwardly at an angle to the general length of the guide chute to prevent interference with the paper on its travel'through the chute.

mediate its ends as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3.

her 25 and plate 24. g Should the paper tend tobow in a transverse direction,

i.e. across the guideway, this will be counteracted by the hump 34 which tends to cause the paper to bow slightly in a longitudinal direction, i.e. along the length of the chute.

In any event, however, the weight of the pivotal member 25 is such that when the leading edge of the strip is j not blocked, the member will remain in :its lower posi- V Fig. 1 and will resist any tendency of the p tion shown in paper strip to raise it.

Also, the lower 1 wall 22 is formed with an upwardly extending hump 34 3 which is located opposite the guide member 25 inter-f Should the leading edge, i.e. 29 of the strip be blocked, as by engagement with the machine operators hand, during continued feeding thereof by the platen and pin wheel, it will commence to buckle in the chute. This buckling of the strip will generally occur midway between the platen and the leading edge and will be directed upwardly by the hump 34. Continued feeding of the strip causes further buckling of the paper which, depending on its stilfness, may assume a variety of different cross-sectional shapes, one of which is seen in Fig. 3. During this process, the paper will press upwardly against the member 25 sufiiciently toraise it toward its position shown in Fig. 3, thereby visually indicating to the operator that the paper is blocked. Sufiicient amount of paper may be accumulated under the member 25 to appraise the operator of this condition in time to take the necessary steps to stop the machine or to remove the block. Thereupon, the leading edge may be readily withdrawn through the chute and under the plate 24 without mutilating or destroying that portion which is located under the member 25. In so doing, the member 25 will return to its normal guiding position shown in Fig. 1.

Although I have described my invention in detail in its preferred embodiment and have therefore utilized certain specific terms and languages herein, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is illustrative rather than restrictive and that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claim appended hereto. For example, in cases where a relatively stitt paper strip is used, a spring (not shown) may be employed to yieldably urge the member 25 downwardly into its position shown in Fig. 1 to prevent the member from being raised during normal feeding of the paper.

Having thus described the invention, what I desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

An anti-jamming record medium guiding device for a printing machine or the like in which an elongate flexible record medium is fed through an elongate guiding chute by a feeding device acting to push said record medium endwise through said chute, comprising a chute, an opening in one wall of said chute intermediate the ends thereof, a guide member extending over at least a portion of said opening, means pivotally supporting said guide member for movement toward and away from said opening about an axis extending transversely to the length of said chute, a second wall of said chute extending into the path of movement of said record medium opposite said opening whereby to cause said record medium to bow longitudinally toward said guide member, said guide member comprising a center section adjacent said pivotal supporting means and spaced legs extending from said center section; said center section being inclined toward the interior of said chute in the direction of movement of said record medium whereby to prevent transverse bowing of said record medium, said guide member being normally effective to maintain said record medium in said chute but being yieldable away from said opening in response to undue longitudinal bowing of said record medium opposite said opening when the leading edge of said record medium is blocked from endwise movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

